3C-FD: The Darth's Droid
by Visasmasterjedi
Summary: 3C-FD: The Darth's Droid, is the semi-sequel to 'Jaq the Jedi Hunter' and is the second story in the series... 3C-FD is an expert slicer, he's a little astromech droid with big dreams. But he is just a droid, and droids don't get much credit for anything. But what happens when the most dangerous Sith in the known Galaxy gets a hold of him? It means one hell of an adventure.
1. The New Master

Warning... Warning...

Data Corruption...

Memory Core Corrupt... Please proceed to Droid Maintenance...

Warning...

Please replace Main Drive Unit...

Droid Priorities Shuffled... Primary Power set to Minimum... Warning...

Primary Heating Exhaust Overloading...

Destruction Imminent...

ERROR... ERROR... ERROR...

Restoring Primary Power to Memory Functions...

Searching Databanks...

S:/ Files... Not Found

T:/ Files... Not Found

B:/ Files... ERROR... Files may be Damaged...

Attempting to Repair B:/ Files...

B:/ Files = Significant Memories Categorized by this Unit...

Attempting to Repair and Restore...

Memory Playback in 3 seconds...

2 Seconds...

1 Second...

Playback Begin...

**Log 01: The New Master**

The air was thin on Nar Shadaa and you could never really tell how high up you were. It was a beautiful place, if you were a droid anyway. The organics always complained about the pathetic conditions, the oils, the poor people and all the thugs and scum. Well, conditions never worried the droids, oil is good for a tune up, droids have no economic and wealth status...but the thugs, it appeared as though everywhere one looked there'd be a Protocol Droid being abused by it's master or a Utility Droid being beaten by amusement down a back alley. Not 3C though, his master treated him well.

He was the display droid in a small store on the market quarter in Nar Shadaa. He, along with four other droids were the top-of-the-line astromech droids. Around him was 3C-A6 and WH1R. WH1R minded the shop thou this owner was out making trades. On the last trade she even managed to sell JK-V2 to a collector. Today she was out with the fourth of the droids, the best, T3-H8. 3C-FD's master, a young Twi'lek girl with golden skin owned the emporium. It was a droid parts stall and most of the powered down protocol droids had already been shipped off.

The master, Janice Nall, had recently been sponsored by an anonymous benefactor working for the Exchange. He had left his name anonymous for a reason, to test the droids' skills. He had heard from the Exchange on Nar Shadaa that Nall's droids were the best slicers. They were. And so he arranged her shop to be moved to Taris. The man's name was Kang and he was willing to pay big credits for the droids' cooperation.

Nall usually left her protocol droids off and the astros on, the Astros were far better at physical exercise and actually had a personality.

She arrived back at the stall, T3 beside her.

"How are you little ones. Any customers?" she asked the droids as they wheeled around the shop placing things on shelves or repairing parts.

"Bwwwooop." 3C-FD said.

She was shocked.

"That many!" She giggled. "Are you lying to me, 3C?"

He was. We whirred to signal his embarrassment. Janice placed a clutch onto the bench and faced her working droids.

"We leave soon." She started. She was sad, and even a droid such as 3C could tell as much. "But we have no choice. Taris will be our home, and we will enjoy it. You will all be with me."

3C-A6 locked his legs as hopped to show excitement. She giggled again, that lightened her mood. She would find herself wrong though. Not all the droids would follow her to Taris. JK had already gone, WH1R would be bought by Czerka and tortured by slavers who would steal him upon his arrival at Kashyyyk, 3C-A6 and T3-H8 would make it to Taris but 3C would be confiscated by the Sith, then there was the other 3C... 3C-FD... He would participate in the biggest adventure any droid ever went on. He would learn the ways of the Jedi and the ways of the Sith and everything in between.

A woman approached the counter as Nall was staring at her droids in amusement.

"Excuse me," she began as she arrived. The woman was old, she wore a brown robe with a hood shielding her face. From the angle of the droids they could see the woman was without sight. Nall turned.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Welcome to Droids of Janice. If you need droid parts, Janice Nall is you gal. What can I do ya for?"

"I'm looking for a droid. I. These dark times I feel it best to have a companion I can trust. I have been informed your droids are the best in the business."

"You heard correct."

How could the woman see which droid she picked if she was blind.

"Is it at all possible I could buy one of your astromech droids?"

She looked down at us. "Yes, but they aren't cheap." she looked back at the woman.

"I am willing to pay. How much for the 3C unit?"

"3C-A6?"

"No the older one."

How did she know...?

"Ah, 3C-FD. He is definitely the best of the best when it comes to the 3C range, yes both he and A6 are equal in skill but 3C is quite skilled due to his experiences."

"I will take him."

"Excellent, that will be 4,600 credits."

The blind woman stepped back in shock.

"Uh, it seems I am running a little short. I am in quite a situation and don't have the money. Look, I am not a con so I shall return in the morning with the rest."

"Excellent, I will see you tomorrow."

The woman bowed and walked away. Still she appeared to know where to go. 3C peered around the side of the desk and watched the woman walk away but was interrupted by his master.

"Looks good, kiddo. Looks like you'll be going on an adventure." Well that's an understatement. "Tomorrow, when she comes back, I have a surprise for you. I had hoped I wouldn't have to give it to you for a while but you are lucky enough to get in early."

Lucky...

In truth, the blind organic did not reappear for the day and only at the same time the following night. We all saw her walking towards the shop. Her stride was longer and faster than before. Yet now she seemed somewhat determined.

"Welcome back, how can I help you frie-" she began but was silenced. Suddenly Janice began hovering a little off the ground and grasped desperately at her own throat as if being strangled.

"I've reconsidered the deal." the women said as she magically threw Janice over the edge of the platform. Nar Shadaa was high up. You'd be falling for hours before hitting the ground. But she survived. Immediately all the droids rushed to the edge. All but 3C who was scared and confused. Should he follow the old women who waved him over or save his creator?

In fright, he followed the woman. Looking back he saw some of the droids reaching out for a very much alive Janice. Still he wheeled beside his new master, his new companion. Again he looked back at the droids as WH1R pulled Janice's hand onto the ground as she lifted herself. 3C-A6 just whirred in sorrow for her friend, the other 3C. She would miss him.

"They failed." The woman said to herself. "They think they stripped me of my power? They are wrong." She was mad. His master was very mad.

"Brwooor Bleep Beep-Beep?" 3C-FD asked.

"My name?" she began. "I am Kreia."


	2. The Exchange

**Log 02: The Exchange**

Some time later, 3C's master met another much like her. Kreia, who was eager for vengeance, trained this man under the title of Darth Sion. Her herself eventually became Darth Traya. Sion became the Lord of Pain and Traya the Lord of Betrayal - having herfell been betrayed by the Order.

After a time, she introduced Sion to her own droid. From that point onward she aimed to please her apprentice. At one point she even gifted 3C to him. The little droid was frightened and Traya did her best to comfort him. She no longer needed companionship, thus she cast away her droid.

Sion was never cruel to his new droid, but he wscene rainy cruel to others. Other organize were often tortured or executed before Sion to satisfy him. There came a time where 3C was confident the two could coexist without harming one another. He was dead wrong.

Eventually Traya revealed to Sion she had been training another. One Lord Nihilus. He wasate Lord of Hunger, another Human. While Sion was a broken man whose flesh had greyed, rotted, solidified and broken apart; Nihilus hid his appearance under a hooded cloak and a mask carved from the bones of a long extinct beastie.

Sion envied the lies his master had told him, about Sion being the only trainee. While Traya taught her pet, Sion, to torture a victim so far beyond death that the victim could never die; she herself was incapable of such feats. She herself was a woman of knowledge. She was a teacher, whenever she met with the droid 3C-FD she would assure him that there was never any danger of her falling to the Darkside. Analyses of her proclaimed otherwise, it seemed that while she was not of the Darkside she had managed to control the Force and used the Darkside of the Force as a tool.

3C always wished to assure her that he cared not of her allegiance. 3C was not only programmed not to serve a specific allegiance, but to seek successful companionship. As long as Traya lived, while not the unit's master, 3C wished to protect his former.

Eventually the little droid was summoned to the Trayus Core on Malachor V (where the Triumvirate trained). There 3C met with Sion seated upon a throne of bones and Nihilus conversing with his fellow pupil. Nihilus spoke in an ancient tongue that had not been spoken for a millennia. 3C could not follow, but Sion's replies made the topic of conversation clear.

"I grow tired of her lessons." Sion declared.

Nihilus replied in his dialect. He spoke, as it seemed, through the Force. It was the conclusion that 3C had come up with. Droids could not conceive the Force as an entity unless programmed so. Janice had not gifted 3C with such coding and data.

"Traya will disagree. She says you have much to learn, if you tell her you know all there is to know she will try to destroy you."

Nihilus continued to speak. He stood so nobly, he was a man fueled by the raw power of the Force. In Nihilus' lessons Traya had taught him to devour worlds. While he had not initiated his knowledge he had managed to exterminate entire cities by consuming all the Force within the area. He had devoured it and left all the city's inhabitants dead. Their carcasses emptied.

"No!" Sion shouted. "Not yet! It's too soon!"

Nihilus raised his hand and for three seconds white bolts of pure electricity burst from his gloved fingertips and coursed over and through Sion's flinching body. When Sioon was released he acted as though nothing had happened. He did not even pant - he was the Lord of Pain after all.

"Then it will be done. Tonight. Traya will be destroyed in the Trayus Core." Sion turned himself to 3C. "Droid," he began. Nihilus turned. It was a gaze that could even scare a droid. "I have summoned you to warn you of our intentions. You will not warn Traya of this or we will throw you into the depths of the planet."

3C chirped though it was not a happy chirp, rather one of discomfort. He wheeled backwards before turning away.

He hated Sion. If droids could hate, that is. On occasion Sion would take his angeabout on the droid and attack it before threatening to throw it out the airlock while in hyperspace. Unlike Traya, who, while evil he trusted with all his code.

He would warn her.

As he left the inner sanctum of the Trayus Academy and though the Proving Grounds to the Crescent he stared at the sky. Whilst serving on Malachor V the Galaxy seemed far larger. Somewhere above the dark reaches of the Galaxy 3C-FD imagined what it

would be like to serve under a true Hero rather than atyrant like Sion. He remembered the old stories of Revan. Traya used to describe his life as heroic and legendary - she, surprisingly, only felt admiration towards her former student. In theory he was the reason that the Jedi Masters had exiled her in the first place.

Now Revan was long gone. It had been four years since he had returned to the light. 3C had intercepted transmissions of the Sith Fleet upon Sion's orders. Apparently a redeemed Revan returned to the Star Forge and not only saved Jedi Bastila Shan front the Darkness but killed Darth Malak and destroyed the Star Forge. His assassins either retreated, killed themselves, or were taken in by Traya's pupils Sion and Nihilus.

"Slow down." Traya exclaimed when 3C tried to explain the situation.

"BWOOOOP! Brir- Bleep bloop Beep. Whirrrrrrr, Beep!" 3C panicked.

Traya removed herself from her throne. She seemed not troubled and strolled to the large glass window. Outside she stated at the scores of rotting corpses and uniforms littering the surface of Malachor left from the day that the Academy exploded, the day that the Storm Beasts arrived at the Academy gates.

"I will meet with them." she said finally. "They expect me to see them at the Trayus Academy and despite your warnings I must see this done. If I do not meet with them they will see me as a weaker. If I am weaker thanthey will not trussame as a master and teacher. They will fail their lessons."

"BWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOP!" 3C beeped.

This was pure madness! She would be destroyed.

Land so she was.

3C followed Kreia into the Core and watched from the sidelines as she approached the centre. She was going to meditate but was interrupted when Sion and Nihilus arrived. She activated her lightsaber, it glowed red. Red was of passion, of rage, of blood and of lust. Nihilus used the Force and threw her against one of the giant ritual teethoff the Core. Her spine shattered as it made contact with the rock. As Sion approached he continually beat her, bashing her skull against the rock and his fists over her jaw. He thrust his knee into her gut and his boot on her chin. She was broken. Blood poured from several freshly opened wounds on her face. She tried to pick up her lightsaber using the Force but was too weak. She began to fade from consciousness when Sion picked her up by the throat with his right hand and prodded his fingers deep into her cheeks.

"The Jedi may have their ritualistic means of stealing the Force from a man. But I'll show you a new way I have adapted. I will show you the true meaning of pain."

She gasped desperately for air. His grip tightened as his nail-less fingers dug so deep into her cheeks that they left scarring holes in her face. Once more he headbutted her knocking her out entirely before throwing her at his feet, spitting on her and crushing her skull beneath the weight of his right boot.

3C-FD was powerless to stop it. He desperately wheeled himself towards her, to his right Nihilus gazed. Sion caught a glimpse of the droid.

"Droid, I have a small feeling you betrayed my orders. I would kill you under suspicion despite having enough evidence to prove it. Regardless, I have mission for you."

3C would hear out the offer before activating a thermal detonator. Hopefully, but unlikely, this would destroy the two of them.

"I am going to torture your...friend. Once she is beyond death, once she is frail and can no longer think I will repair her. Nihilus will feed the Force from her until she is nothing. Then we shall exile her once more. You are hers again."

And that was how the little droid 3C-FD returned to his master, a woman betrayed by the Jedi, the Sith and the Force.


	3. Why We Fight

**Log 03: Why We Fight**

It was still late when Sion arrived to speak with his former master. He and Nihilus had rose up to destroy her. What right did he have to speak with her? She rested on a bed, needles and medical droids worked their magic and rebuilt her. Sion awaited her at the door.

"How long until she awakes?" he asked.

"Bwoop: Approximately fourteen months. It is possible that we can awaken her earlier at about twelve months but then we run risk of permanent brain damage. Any earlier and she will die. If you wish to cause her more harm I suggest you do not, any pain will surely destroy her-"

"You will not tell me what I cannot do!" he shouted. With the Force he threw the droid against the wall. It exploded on impact and another droid replaced it. That was the eleventh droid in the last four weeks.

3C returned his focus on his limp master. She was weak. Blood pumped into her through medical bags.

"This saddens me deeply," Sion continued "I wished to break her further once she awoke. But I must meet with an asset of mine and my master, Nihilus, is on his way to Katarr."

He turned and left. The man was not good at goodbyes and was more likely to bite off a man's arms rather than shake a hand and bid farewell. It was another few hours before she showed any signs of life.

First her middle finger on her left hand twitched. Then her whole left side twitched and shook the bed. Suddenly she awoke and launched a full Force Repulse from her. This knocked all the droids into the walls or through the windows. All the medical equipment was destroyed and 3C was thrown out the door into the next room.

He landed on his photoreceptors and struggled to centre himself. When he sat upright and faced the door his master stood, grasping tightly on the beams othe door. She was wearing nothing but the medical protocol undergarments and a blanket over her shoulders. The droids had washed away the white face paint and black and red makeup. All that was left of the old woman was her wrinkled pale complexion and greyed hair.

"3- 3C?" she asked before collapsing.

3C-FD, her old companion, wheeled himself closer so that she fell on him.

In time she recovered. She now wore the brown and hooded Jedi Master's robe that she had worn when she had first bought 3C. She was now seated on her throne in the wasteland of the Trayus Academy.

She had murdered fifty of Sion and Nihilus' assassins. Sion had taken a fleet of his and used them to blockade Korriban, which had recently fallen once more. They would return within the week. All of Nihilus' assassins had escorted him to Katarr. The Republic believed that Revan had destroyed the Sith at the battle of Rakata Prime when he destroyed the Star Forge and destroyed the Infinite Empire. They were wrong.

According to Traya's teachings the True Sith Empire was to return, Revan was supposed to be the prophet of their arrival. Instead he and Malak became Sith Lords and declared themselves the leaders of the New Sith Empire and initiated the Order of Two for the first time. Malachor V was now the base of operations for the known Sith. Now that Korriban had fallen at the hands of a fool the Sith hid in the unknown reaches of the Galaxy. On the old Sith world of Korriban a fool guard fell asleep and left the doors to the Valley of the Dark Lord open. Kath Hounds entered and killed all the students and teachers. It was a bloodbath.

As she gained strength, whether it be purely in the Force or in her bones, she began to move. She left for her throne room. It was one that 3C-FD even knew existed. Whenever he had seen his master, Traya had always been in the chambers with acolytes rather than in the Throne Room. He had seen her once conversing with Nihilus in the Lord of Hunger's Throne Room. She had been teaching him how to feast on the energy that presented itself from crystals. It was unstable and whenever an element spotaneously combusted Nihilus would scream in pain. The ancient tongue of the Sith was difficult to understand yet not entirely impossible. The screamed as green liquid fire splatted itself across his mask, seeping in through the eye sockets. His cloak caught alight mut no damage seemed to be taken. Only he was in pain, his garnments were not.

3C had never understood that. Droids never felt pain, they simulated panic when a circuit was damaged at fears of losing a primary function. He also understood that organics possesed a nervous system that simulated pain in some circumstances and pleasure in others. It was a fine line, one Asssassin droids loved to cross. Yet, if organics could feel pain then why couldn't the clothing they wore? Pain was a foreign concept.

The faithful little rust bucket followed Traya into her Throne Room. In the center was a large rock seat. It was carved out of crystal soil from the depths of Malachor. It was grey with black streets yet warm as if it possesed crystal layers inside. It appeared, however, as thought it had been set of fire. 3C-FD scanned large levels of heat an radation at the base of the ceremonial chair and on the seat. Gas levels indicated plasma and ion. Lord Sion had set the Throne alight to send a message to the other acoytes. Traya sat herself on the throne and sniffed in the air. It was likely she detected a faint smell of smoke that was arising from the Throne. Yet she turned to look behind. This sparked the little Darth Droid's curiosity.

He followed her around behind the Throne and found it. All her acolytes, her faithful teachers and students. They had all been butchered and hidden in the shadows of the dark side of the hall.

"I knew they were going to betray me, 3C." she began.

"Bweep, dwoo?" he replied.

"They were always going to. They are ignorant and blinded by their own goals. I need a higer calling. From the second I dubbed them Lords of Pain and Hunger I knew what I would have to become in order to succeed."

"Reep? Dwooo. Bee-boop beep!"

"Weak. If I was weak, then I could be betrayed. That is who I am. I am Darth Traya, the Lord of Betrayal."

"Dwoop? Deet-doot."

"You need not call me by my dark title any longer 3C. Call me Kreia. It is what I must be called if I am to succeed."

"Reep dwoop?"

"Come, I have a plan." she finished and left, leaving 3C to scan the scores of dead bodies. It was no use, there would be no survivors amongst them. There would be no need to create a casualty list. _Everyone_ was dead. _Everyone_ was no longer alive. _Everyone _felt pain...except for 3C. Droids didn't feel pain. And good thing too, after what he was about to have to go through.


	4. Repairs

**Log 04 - Repairs**

3C-FD wheeled itself towards the destroyed shuttle. It wasn't destroyed beyond repair, but it looked it. It was still functioning in the respect that the ramp openned when it detected an organic. And when Kreia entered she seemed not fearful of flying within such a rust bucket. As she entered the shuttle a stream of black smog billowed from the rear thrusters. The shuttle's reactors must have overheated in the storms.

The two made their way to the cockpit. There Kreia sat in the pilot's seat. The shuttle was only fitted with one seat ehich suggested that there was no need for a co-pilot. Regardless, this shuttle was larger than most and appeared to be almost the size of a small freighter. It had a cockpit, a main hold equipped with a briefing room and showers room, and a rear central reactor. The reactor was overheating, obvious by the thermal readouts that 3C was recieving. He feared his master would die if she was exposed to much more of the scorching heat.

At the back of the cockpit was a plasteel container, and the little golden droid detected movement within. Naturally he openned it, giving in to his curiosity. The lid swirled and openned and nine small recon droids hovered out. They were black and spherical in shape with a small antenna poking out the top and a small claw out the bottom. 3C-FD calculated the appropriate amount of time it would take to program the droids. Hopefully the droids could assist in the shuttle repairs and get them underway on whatever urgent mission Kreia wished to complete.

Slowly 3C began to assign the recon droids to different tasks. Some were assigned to welding the reactor leaks up. Some were assigned to mine off the uneccesary pieces of scrap metal. Some were designed to hold up a Solar Shield to protect other droids from being obliterated by this unnatural green Lightning that was consuming the destroyed world of Malachor V.

"3C, my little companion." Kreia began. "I wondered if I could have a moment."

3C had programmed the last droid when she had asked for him. He wheeled his way beside her and she placed her left palm on 3C's head.

"Have I discussed with you my plan?"

"Whir. Beep-boop. Tick." 3C exclaimed curiously.

"I hate the Force."

"Boop!"

"I do. After all it's given me I, like the rest of the Galaxy, have come to live off it entirely. I want the Force gone. The Force is power, it was given those of tyrannical personalities authority over those without. We need to be rid of it, my friend. And I know just what to do. As you were programming those droids I sensed her in the Force."

"Woop. Beep-Beep-Doop. Woop?"

"She? She is an Exile, much like myself. Though she was exiled for doing what was right. The Jedi Council were blind and those who still live will one day regret exiling her."

"Dwoob."

"One Jedi Master, Atris is her name, she has called for the exile Meetra Surik to return from the Outer Rim. We need her. But the Sith and the Exchange want her dead. Atris is clearly using her as bait, she expects to reel the Sith Fleet in so that they can kill Meetra and so that Atris can then deal with the Sith. A good plan, though she underestimates my old apprentices greatly."

"Twiit. Doot."

"Yes, that is partly why we want her...why we _need_ her. I hate the Force. If I can forge some kind of a Force Bond with her..." Kreia began to consume herself in deep thought.

"...Whiiiiiiiir?"

"If I forge that bond and destroy it once more, I will damage the Force. I will reopen a wound so large that the Galaxy will be rid of the Force entirely! Those who rely on it will fall with it! I will die, so will she, but the Galaxy will finally live in harmony rather than in chaos! This is how we achieve peace!"

"Dwoop! Beep-boop! Whir! Deet?!"

"The wound of Malachor V. When Meetra destroyed Malachor V and sacrificed thousands of her own to put hundreds of thousands of enemies to death...she created a wound in the Force. The wound centered itself around her. I will reopen that wound!"

The Force was an odd and powerful thing that 3C could not comprehend. When his master was done speaking he wheeled himself towards the reactor to see what was taking his recon droids so long. Many had been neutralised by the Lightning. 3C had to finish the repairs himself. At this rate it would take weeks to repair the ship.


	5. Harbinger

**Log 05: Harbinger**

HK-50 was making its way through the currently abandoned halls of the Harbinger, towards one of the port sub-cargo holds. He had timed it perfectly, no patrol would pass through this sector of the ships for the next twelve minutes and fourteen seconds. Behind him trailed an astromech droid HD-0D. The blue and gold astromech droid was clueless as to what was going to happen to it. HK-50's true master, an Exchange crimelord named Goto had hired him to neutralise the Jedi Meetra Surik. A day ago she had been picked up, they were en route to Telos IV and there were another nine days left before they'd eventually arrive.

When HK-50 arrived at the cargo hold he openned the door, the bright lights inside reflected off his silver plating. He stepped aside and assured the nervous astromech droid in. HD-0D wheeled in and was stopped. It was shocked to see another seven Protocol Droids and eight Astromech and Utility Droids damaged beyond repair and hidden within the hold. Immediately the droid buzzed around to flee but HK-50 had picked up an Assault Rifle and fired upon the droid rendering it obliterated.

A week ago, when they were on course to Onderon HK-50 had told the Captain that he was a Protocol Droid. Assassin Droids were illegal in this modern day and age, but the new HK-50 models were experts and infiltration. The Assassin Droid chuckled.

"_Mockery_: And he hardly suspected a thing." HK-50 played.

He turned. A Republic Soldierwas right behind him. He was frozen, afraid by the events he had just seen.

"Oh my...HELP! THE DROIDS ARE TAKING OVER! HE-"

HK-50 threw his armour plated fist at the throat of the soldier, snapping his neck instantaneously. The soldier fell back, still alive. He began crawling away but HK-50 placed a foot on the man's back and fired into his spine. He dragged the dead soldier back into the Cargo Hold and sealed it. No one would ever know. Over the past two days the Captain had noticed some strange happenings going on within the ship. Some soldiers had been missing patrols, comms were occasionally deactivating and there were weapons malfunctions. Odd.

Then it was time for stage two. The Jedi was to be a 'Diplomatic Guest' aboard this Republic Capital Ship, the Harbinger. But in these next few moments all hell would break loose and she would go missing...all part of the plan.

...

The shuttle ride was oddly quiet. It was floating through space as the Hyperdrive couldn't be repaired. All the recon droids had been destroyed and 3C was forced to lockdown the rear core reactor in order to cool it. Exposure to the vacuume of space cooled the engines and prevented them from overheating. This also meant that 3C could not finish repairs. In the cockpit Kreia was meditating when suddenly she stirred.

"3C?" she asked, panicked.

3C wheeled into the room.

"3C? Brace yourself. We are about to have company."

"Dwoot!"

"No need to worry yourself, they are not hostile. The guns do not need repairing."

She stood and removed a lightsaber from her belt. 3C could not understand as to why she needed a lightsaber if they were not hostile. _Who were they?!_ But soon 3C's questions were answered.

The shuttle rocked as a ship exited from hyperspace right by the shuttle. It was an orange and brown freighter. It seemed to slow as it hovered over the small, black shuttle. The freighter was also badly damaged, however a quick diagnostics run by 3C revealed that it's guns, reactors and hyperdrive were all active. They needed to board.

3C moved into the central cargo hold and found Kreia standing by an airlock. She activated the lightsaber, an Emerald Green shon from it in a small beam. He was unsure where she had recieved such a weapon after the crimson one she held back on Malachor. Suddenly the airlock burst open and there was a long tunnel. It was black and 3C could not see through it through any of his photoreceptor filters. Suddenly a burst of rapid fire blasts burst through the tunnel. Kreia defelcted all the blasts with her lightsaber but a final flurry of firepower reached her actual hand and tore the lightsaber in two. She reached out with the Force and pushed whatever had fired on her back.

The she ran through the tunnel. 3C followed, trying to catch up. The tunnel was not flat and solid but made of a material that allowed navigation through a ramp. 3C wheeled in and found himself navigating upwards into the freighter. Kreia was standing in the hallway unsure of where her attacker was hiding. Suddenly a small explosiong was heard in the next room. The two made there way towards the sound.

In the main hold they found a Galaxy Map, a few cargo containers were the only other things in the room that could have made the noise - but nothing truly worthy of an explosion. From the other side of the map popped up an orange droid, it was humanoid in shape and fired upon Kreia once more. Kreia used the Force to knock the attacked down. She leapt on him and pressed her feet on his hands to stop him from firing.

"Where is your master, droid?" She asked spitefully.

The Droid was silent but a small whirring sound emitting from him only proved there was going to be little cooperation.

"_Directive_: Memory Core wiped."

Kreia sighed and stepped off the droid.

"We only come in peace and do not wish to fight. We are looking for someone, a Jedi." she said.

Suddenly a small astromech droid, the same model as 3C-FD, made its way into the main hold from the cockpit. It was grey in colouration and seemed to have seen a lot of battles in its time.

"Deet-Doo, woop?" The droid exclaimed.

"Beep. Whir. Deet-Doot-Dwerp." 3C-FD replied.

"_Salutations_: Greetings meatbag, I am HK-47. I am an Assassin Droid whose programming allows me to kill. And this is-"

"This must be T3-M4." Kreia interrupted.

T3-M4 chirped in agreement.

...

HK-50 found itself in the Medical wing of the Harbinger. Four minutes earlier he had told the Medical Staff that she was urgently requested by Patient 08322 in the aft hangar bay. Suprisingly she believed him, the Harbinger was not equipped with an aft hangar bay. Using the medical requisition console that she had left to see the emergency, HK-50 sliced the console and distorted the agenda. He changed the orders so that his target, the Jedi, the Exile Meetra Surik be requested in the Medical Bay for mandatory injections. He sent the data and in time, she came.

She entered the room smiling and confused.

"Where's the Doct-" she began.

"_Pleased_ _Statement_: The Doctor is not in. However, I will be giving you the injections this evenning. I am truly sorry if that is an inconvenience."

She stopped, confused. Her right eyebrow was raised showing a mix of curiosity, confusion and concern.

"No, that's quite alright. You can do as you please." she spoke reluctantly.

HK-50 gestured his hand in a wave towards a chair. Surik sat, she appeared less concerned now - until HK-50 revealed the needle. It was a good twenty centimetres long. Truthfully he only needed a two centimetre long syringe, but where was the fun in that.

"_Deceptive Comfortship_: Do not fear, this will not hurt more than anything you have ever felt in your entire life. And it will most certainly be over before you know it."

Sweat dripped from her brow as the sharp piece of metal penetrated her skin.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to steralise the needle or something?" She panicked.

"_Justification_: It does not matter whether I steralise the needle or not. In time you will die, I will kill you myself."

Then and there Meetra began to scream, but for less then an second and then she was out like a light. HK-50's next part of his plan would have to be to seal her in the starboard sub-cargo hold 14B without any of the Harbinger's personnel noticing. That would be hard, but so far everything had gone according to plan and was unlikely to fall apart this far in.

...

The freighter, the Ebon Hawk, had just exited Hyperspace once more.

"Why do we keep stopping?" Kreia asked angrily. "We have a mission to complete, and it will not be finished at this rate."

"Dwoot! Deet!" T3-M4 exclaimed just as angrily.

"No I do not want to fix the Hyperdrive myself!" Kreia rebutted.

In the main hold HK-47 and 3C-FD were by the Galaxy Map. They were supposed to be looking out for the Harbinger or any other vessels of importance. So far they had found nothing. HK-47 had his left leg resting on the map and spent the time loading and removing the ammunition from his Mark IV X-Ton Ion Cannon. He had not been paying attention. 3C suspected this was an act made to annoy him.

"Dwoop?" 3C accused.

"_Insulted Mockery_: Oh I care so much that you think I am trying to irritate you. _Justification_: But if you must know, weapon maitennance is priority number one if we are survive this mission." he replied.

"Deet-Doot whir."

"_Defensive Statement_: I am too maintaining my weapon. Reloading assures it will work in battle. What would you know about weapons anyway, you're just-"

He was interrupted by an incessant beeping coming from the Galaxy Map, followed by a view of the Galaxy flickering a bright red. Kreia entered panicked.

"You were supposed to be watching the Map! The Sith are on us!"

The Ebon Hawk rocked violently. It became under fire. A high pitched screech signalled through the ship. The ramp in the next room was openning. Then the power went out. 3C tried to see in the dark by recycling his photoreceptor filters. All he caught were flashes. The power was still on, but the lights were out. He saw Kreia rush towards the cockpit, she began calling on an open channel a distress call.

Suddenly HK-47 dropped to the ground, a crimson lightsaber piercing through his central power unit.

"Systems failing, masteeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr" his power flickered and died. The Assassin Droid was destroyed.

Then the lights came on once more. Kreia has being Force choked, held up by her attacker. 3C hid himself in a corner upon seeing who it was. And who it was, was Sion. Darth Sion had boarded the ship, destroyed HK-47 and was killing Kreia. He threw her at the wall, and she stopped breathing.

"Your time has come...Master."

With that Sion turned to T3-M4 and followed him out of view into the cockpit. With that thirty something Sith commandos revealed themselves in the main hold. It was all so sudden, they had left camouflage. The Ebon Hawk had been boarded. Again all the assassins disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

...

Pvt. Oran Wurry was on patrol again. He hated patrol, he had hated patrol so, so much since he was assigned to the Harbinger. Ever since that Jedi showed up the ship had become haunted. His friends kept going missing, never were their corpses found. That either meant they weren't dead, or they were all just becoming super lazy all of a sudden. Or a third option could be that the murderer was really good at hiding the bodies. It was an extremely concerning incident amongst the servicemen and crew but the Captain seemed not at all bothered by it.

Oran arrived at the Bridge, there he felt safest, there were a lot of witnesses in this area of the ship. Captain Torbain was looking at him as he entered. He knodded at the Private and signalled him over. When Oran arrived he saluted.

"At ease." Torbain ordered. "Do you know why I have summoned you?"

"I wasn't aware I'd been summoned, sir."

The Captain chuckled. "Yes, it seems that much is going wrong with our mission doesn't it."

"Or it is going correctly, for someone else."

"Exactly. Anyway, we recieved a distress call just under an hour ago. It came from a freighter that claimed it was under attack."

This close into Republic Space? There would be no way someone would risk an attack in this sector of the Galaxy. Not even pirates would actually _attack_, they would steal but never attack. If it was another faction entirely however, then the ship shouldn't steer off course trying to pursue something that'll threaten them and the mission. And Pvt. Oran didn't want to be out here any longer than he had to be.

"And are we going to pursue this S.O.S. or are we to continue on our course?" he asked.

"Under orders of Admiral Carth Onasi, we are to recieve the freighter. He recognises its ID and suspects a friend, a high level asset is on board."

"And why have you summoned _me_, sir?"

"This freighter was attacked by the Sith. I would like you to lead the infiltration team and once the Ebon Hawk, the freighter, boards the Harbinger you are to enter it and make sure any surviving passengers are safely brought aboard."

"And why didn't you send me these orders, sir?"

"As you said, I had to give you these in person. Someone clearly doesn't want us to succeed."

As he finished he faced the Harbinger's front viewport. The ship's Protocol Droid, a new model, left and brushed past Oran towards the exit.

"Hey, droid." Oran began. "Come back here, I want you to help me lead the infiltration team"

"_Defiant Statement_: Negative. I have my own missions I must complete."

Odd, when did droids start refusing orders?

...

By the time HK-50 reached the Harbinger's main engines the ship had exited Hyperspace so that it could recieve the Ebon Hawk. Things weren't going to plan anymore, but it did provide an opportunity to redeem itself. With the Harbinger no longer in Hyperspace the HK-50 unit now had access to the inside of the hyperdrives. When in Hyperspace the whole section was in lockdown and the HK droid would likely rust and shatter under the imense heat and pressure of the thrusters.

Now that the ship was no longer in Hyperspace HK-50 could enter the engine and place a series of ECD charges within. When the time was right HK-50 could detonate the charges and deactivate the engines for a good forty-eight hours. If he was lucky the ship could be permanently halted. The Ebon Hawk also provided more opportunities, with the Harbinger stopped HK-50 could flee in the Hawk with Meetra Surik once and for all.

...

Wurry led a squad of nine Republic soldiers, all heavily armed. Six stood behind him, lined up in three columns of two. The rest stood beside him. The Ebon Hawk was a beautiful ship, but there were large holes scattered along the hull. Fire and plasma burns spouted out from different vents across the ship. It was beautiful, but in this state it was a piece of junk. If it really had been attacked by the Sith then there'd be nothing left. There was no need to be scared, he assured himself.

He stood back as the Hawk's ramp lowered. He signalled the troops to move in by waving his hand. Three men stayed with him but the others searched the ship. They knew their objectives, they were to neutralise any hostilities, gather the wounded and the dead. Oran expected gunfire but heard none. There were no Sith on board. As he stared from the hangar up into the ship he was knocked over by some unforceen force. He was bowled over as if someone had walked into him, but there was no one around. Two of his soldiers laughed at him, the third helped him up.

In time the other soldiers left the freighter carrying several bodies.

"What'd you find?" Pvt Oran asked.

"We found two dead corpses a woman and something that appears to be a male. In addition we found two droids, one is destroyed and the other, an astromech is alright."

As soon as he'd finsihed speaking the small grey droid followed him out and made it's way behind the others. Oran's men continued to carry out an old woman in a brown robe. They'd likely leave the other droid where he is. But the real concern would be the fourth figure, the one they were unsure about. The men carried him out last. Five men carried this one, he was obviously the heaviest. All he wore were black cargo pants, but his skin...it had rotted and solidified. His flesh was grey and cracked all over his body. He was bald, one of his eyes were red and the flesh around it had been torn off revealing dead muscle.

"Get him to the Med Bay. Let the Doc take a look at him, we need to know if he's alive."

His men were loyal enough to do as he ordered. This mission was getting odd. Oran was offered the position on the Harbinger, he was getting paid a high sum to work there. But this deal was getting worser all the time.

...

Dr. Jane Ruvren was observing the patient. He had suffered servere scarring and bone fracture. It was unclear whether or not it was from the recent incident with the Sith. This man had no heartbeat, or at least no heartbeat that she could detect. It had been just over five hours since his arrival and she had found herself pacing in front of him.

Most of Harbinger's patients were given Kolto tanks that lined the sides of the room. This patient was special. He was given his own tank, a larger one to fit his proportion. She wandered past it only a few metres to his left when she heard a scream in the distance. It sounded like someone was being killed right outside the Med Bay. Then she heard it.

The Kolto behind her seemed to splash. She turned to him, the prisoner flinched. He was alive? She rushed to him, about to scream out. This was amazing! Then his eyes openned and she heard the screams of a centillion of souls as they were tortured by the darkness of the universe. Slowly each soul was let free one by one and Dr. Ruvren found herself wanting to die. She picked herself up, now physically deaf and ran for her life. She turned as she ran and found the patient break free of the Kolto. She looked back to where she headed and two figures in black leather skins faded into visibility. They were armed with Vibroswords and their masks hid their faces.

Dr Ruvren turned back to run but found herself facing the massive not-at-all dead man. He picked her up by her neck, strangling her. She had thought she had become deaf by the Force Scream, but she was wrong. Instead, she heard one final sound. A snap! And then her world escaped her grasp.

...

T3-M4 had been observing the various consoles aboard the Bridge when the attack begun. At one moment the ship was at peace, then, the cameras in the Med Bay malfunctioned and all the Sith Assassins appeared throughout the ship. They dispatched most of the Republic Troops within seconds, but the remainder were holding their ground. T3 pushed his way through the horde of Sith Assassins and bowled two over. The last he saw of Captain Torbaine he was holding the line with one other lieutenant from the assassins.

T3 made at the Bridge door panel. He inserted his slicer and hacked all the live camera feeds. That was one of the several advantages of being a T3 model astromech droid. They had photoreceptors in every location, facing every direction. With HK-47 not working functionally he'd need Kreia in order to find Meetra. It was a superordinate goal the two shared. If T3 were to make it Kreia however, he'd need to avoid the firefights in order to survive.

First he took a left from the Bridge, all cameras to the right hallway had spontaneously gone into shutdown. In addition there were many Assassins guarding the lift in that direction. As he wheeled his way to the port elevator the doors openned and out came two Sith Assassins. They passed the droid, not caring of his presence. Then in a split second one of the Assassins changed her mind and prodded T3 with a Quarterstaff. T3 returned the fire by blasting a high voltage Electro-Shock Arm at him. The Assassin was launched back into the wall and the elevator closed. T3-M4 went down a floor, to the morgue.

The morgue, that's where he'd find Kreia. When Organics died in a location where burial or burning is not an option they are placed in a morgue where they can be experimented on or used as target practice - that lovely piece of intel had been donated by HK-47. Whether or not is was true was a mystery.

When the little droid arrived at the morgue Kreia was facing away and had just begun pulling the hood back over her head.

"Deet-Doot, whir." T3 exclaimed.

"That's right, do you know where she is?" Kreia asked.

"Boop!"

"Alright, take me to her. And don't worry about the Assassins. Trust me, I can handle them."

That scared T3 a little.

...

HK-50 left the engines behind him. The mission had descalated rapidly in the space of only a few hours. He had gone from procuring the Jedi to having another two conflicting parties interested in taking her also. HK doubted that the others could force as much pain out of her as he could. His plan would be to secure her, assassinate any units trying to get into the freighter that had docked, and to fly out of there. The Harbinger would not be able to follow because he was on the verge of disabling the engines.

He pulled out the detonator and pressed the charge. The whole engine room went silent, the sector of the ship went dark and the lights began to blink. He understood that the rest of the ship would no doubt still have power, but it would still cause some damage. The mission was still going to succeed. It had to. And he wasn't going to stand for anyone else getting in his way.

...

She had been pierced by laser fire in the halls behind her. Many of the appearing Sith Assassins had surrounded her, unsuspecting that she was both alive and extremely dangerous. Immediately she launched a Force Repulse, a shockwave that dissolved her attackers instantaneously. As quick as they had appeared their mere existence was removed from the Galaxy.

Turning a corner to where she thought she might Meetra she discovered the droid from the Ebon Hawk, the droid T3-M4. The droid chirped and Kreia became overwhelmed by the sudden understanding that consumed her. Prior to this point she couldn't pinpoint the location of Meetra, not because she was moving but the Force was no longer present within the Exile. T3's presence revealed that the Jedi was likely sedated as well as stripped from the Force. But by the Sith? No. Then from whom? She never suspected that she would eventually face the attacked who had done this to Meetra. She never suspected she would be fighting alongside the Exile and an Alderaan Pirate.

She never suspected any of this would happen.

The Force was blinding her. Who was doing this? Who- and then she realised exactly what this was. Darth Sion, her former apprentice, must have arrived on the Harbinger with her to secure Meetra Surik.

T3 led the injured Jedi down more and more endless halls. The deck of the Republic Hammerhead-class ship was a labrynth. Eventually T3 discovered her location. Kreia needn't ask how he knew, droids worked in mysterious ways. The little grey astromech droid had led her to a Cargo Hold. Whoever Surik's attacker was, wanted her to remain hidden.

T3 began to spike the console beside the door but failed to open it, likely locked due to the same attacker who had knocked Surik unconscious. T3 changed options and began drilling into the door with a low grade mining laser. Impatiently Kreia pushed the droid to the side almost knocking it over. She pulled the palms of her hands in towards her chest and threw them at the door, a blast of pure brute Force power was launched at the door. The power she cast destroyed the door instantly and revealed a familiar face behind the door.

Truly the girl was more beautiful than she had been as a child. The girl was all grown up now, she was a mere padawan when Kreia had seen her last. Meetra Surik obviously had a special place in Revan's heart once. Kreia threw the girl over her shoulders and prepared to run away with T3. Instead, she stopped.

"Bwoop?!" T3 exclaimed worriedly.

Kreia stopped, in deep thought. She was clearly contemplating, yet confused.

"We are being tracked, followed. We must hurry." She said before she continued.

Meetra Surik was safe but the mission wasn't over yet. Death was still possible but not acceptable.

...

"Mocking Statement: Indeed you are being followed. And Indeed you must hurry."

The HK-50 Assassin Droid was most displeased by the two companions procuring his target. Failure was not an option. His employer, Goto, would send him to Raxus Prime for a good scrap heap melting if he failed. The droid found no trouble in keeping a close track of the two. The elderly organic and the synthetic droid avoided conflict. Shame. HK enjoyed conflict, especially in the physical form.

He lost them when they entered the Turbolifts. The other two he had disabled ten minutes prior. This forced him to use initiative in order to track them down. As the lift lowered HK-50 pulled open the Turoblift doors and jumed down the shaft below. He fell two floors an landed on the lowering lift. It stopped and he presumed that the two exited the lift to the Hangar. Judging this, HK threw his fist into the roof of the lift. He pulled his fist back out, the roof along with it. With the roof gone he dove into the lift before following the two and the target out into the Hangar.

THe Hangar was where most of the battle took place. There was a freighter docked in the main Hangar but scores and scores of Assassins fought Republic Soldiers. The Republic seemed to be winning, but just as the 'thought' was processed a shipment of forty something more Assassins arrived and pushed the Republic soldiers together.

HK-50 figured that if any of the Sith engaged the hag then she would fall and he could retrieve the target - therefore he stood back. Soon he realised that the second she was attacked by hostile Assassins, they were thrown back by the Force. This deemed her not only a threat, but an asset escaping with the target. Additionally it was highly likely she was another Jedi, a Jedi that Goto would be pleased with if secured.

So. HK-50 followed the woman, the girl and the droid up the ramp of the freighter not drawing too much attention to himself.

...

3C-FD was idle in the Main Hold when Kreia returned with T3-M4 and Meetra. Immediately it realised the mission was a success. Not four minutes earlier 3C discovered a loud explosion coming from the Hangar outside of the ship. Through the viewport he witnessed the Sith reveal their presence. The explosion had come from the fuel depot, and it hadn't even refueled the Ebon Hawk yet. The explosion even fried the reserve fuel cannisters located in the rear of the ship.

Regardless of the lack of 'ship-motive' Kreia activated the Hawk and it took off.

3C moved from the Security area of the ship towards the main hold where it looked towards HK-47 stored in one of the Cargo closets. HK-47 had become severely blackened and spots of him had seared changing his organge coating to a dark black or brown. Oddly, now the Assassin Droid shon a bright silver. The lights of the Main Hold reflected of the droid's armor plating.

The Ebon Hawk blasted forward and left the Hangar into the outside space. Behind him Kreia tripped, she had just placed Meetra in the Med Bay but now she was collapsed - strung over the Galaxy Map. She wasn't all that fell. Immediately HK-47 tripped over and picked himself up. Behind him another HK droid stood, virtually destroyed. Calcualting the odds of the droids survival from Sion's attack he realised - the silver droid was not 47.

3C-FD charged up his Heavy Ion Cannon and fired a blast at the silver imposter. Fire burst out of its chest but it was not destroyed. The droid collapsed but stood once more. 3C-FD wheeled towards the small wiring beside the door and sparked a charge into the power outlet. Suddenly the door slammed shut and the other HK droid was trapped.

...

T3 navigated the Ebon Hawk out of the Hangar without a scratch. 3C entered behind the cockpit behind him and immediately wheeled back out upon noticing that the console showed multiple hull breaches in the rear cargo hold. T3 detected that Kreia had regained consciousness but had been concussed by the sudden jump forward. She was dizzly navigating her way through the rooms behind him.

Making the calculations to jump to Hyperspace proved too time consuming. Through security cameras he witnessed Sith Assassins now in command of the turret system on the Harbinger. The Harbinger's turrets directed themselves towards the Hawk. There was no time for calculations, the odds of survival were lower if they stayed then if they made a random jump into lightspeed. However, neither odds were good. T3 pressed the button and the ship launched.

The same time the ship launched four heavy bolts from the Harbinger fired and hit the Ebon Hawk. The Ebon Hawk had begun moving. Explosions all over the ship could be heard. Security systems revealed Kreia dead in the main hold. 3C-FD was destroyed in the rear hold but was repairable. The Ebon Hawk was not going to make it. As fire poured into the Bridge T3 created quick calculations as to wear he could disengage the Hyperdrive. He picked the first system available, the Peragus System. Then the Galaxy Map deactivated. The Engine froze and exploded. And T3-M4 went into shutdown mode.

...

HK-50 was pounding on the door to the closet. No one was going to let him out. At one stage he even considered using the HK-47 droid's plasma detonator and destroying the door. However, this would ultimately destroy him in the process. A violent shaking of the ship revealed that it was about to enter Hyperspace. A large crash through the ship forward and HK-50 wondered if they had crashed into the Harbinger. His processing was interupted as fire and electrical currents poured into the closet. HK-47 unable to defend himself exploded. His shell still remained but it was unlikely he would ever be repaired again. But the mission was still not a failure. Vital signs revealed that the older organic on board was dead. The younger one, the target could be expendable. Meetra Surik would die.

HK-50 is stuck and catches fire


End file.
